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The all-new VBS solution for training and simulation product developers, integrators and service providers.
Overview: The VBS Developer Network (VBSDN) is a subscription-based product tailor-made for commercial entities. It is an all-inone package that provides: VBS2 v1.x (currently VBS2 v1.50) Updates to future VBS releases including VBS2 v2.0 Access to pre-release VBS2 builds VBS2 Development Suite VBS2Fusion VBS2 Multi-channel View Client licenses VBS2 Content SDK Enhanced product support tailored for commercial users Right to resell VBS2 to your customers as part of an integrated product (subject to contract)
www.bisimulations.com
Implement VBS2 on wide-screen or dome displays using multi-channel Commercially exploit your VBS2-related development via the Armory, our soon-to-be-released serious games portal
Features: VBS2 v2.0 - The latest technological step for the VBS2 platform, v2.0 offers numerous new features including: Larger terrain areas Multi-core support Improved AI path-planning (micro-AI) Underwater (scuba) and parachute simulation Improved rendering engine
The VBSDN subscription period is typically one year and the product is priced in three tiers (small business, standard and enterprise).
VBS2 Development Suite - Includes all the tools you need to create VBS2 content, through import of terrain and 3D models from a variety of formats.
Use Cases:
VBS2Fusion - An Application Programming Interface that can be used to programmatically access and modify the VBS2 simulation and the objects within it.
Build VBS2 plug-ins to integrate with other hardware or software solutions Integrate new AI behavior through VBS2Fusion Develop new VBS2 content (scenarios, terrain, 3D models) for commercial sale Use the content SDK to programmatically develop VBS2 terrain from other terrain building applications Access new features before your customers, so your products work with new VBS2 versions as they are released
Copyright © 2012 Bohemia Interactive Simulations s.r.o. All other trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.
VBS2 Multi-channel View Client - allowing VBS2 to operate on wide field of view and dome displays. Preview Builds - Access the latest preview builds for VBS2, ensuring prompt delivery of your products and services to target customers. VBS2 Content SDK - A powerful SDK for programmatically generating VBS2 terrain and 3D models.
The next generation of Virtual Battlespace! VBS2 v2.0 is VBS2 v1.x ported to the Real Virtuality 3 game engine, which is the game engine behind the ArmA2 and ArmA2: Operation Arrowhead computer games. From a user interface perspective it is exactly the same as VBS2 v1.x, however there are many key improvements both as a result of the newer game engine as well as new items funded by military customers. VBS2 v2.0 delivers all of the capability of VBS2 v1.x, plus a wide range of exciting new features that will allow you to leverage game technology in training and simulation like never before. VBS2 v2.0 is being released to the US Army and USMC in Spring 2012 and wider release is expected in Summer 2012.
Improved AI path-planning VBS2 v2.0 uses a much finer AI path-planning grid, allowing AI to navigate small spaces and act more intelligently in general. AI enhancements made for our ArmA2 computer games have been ported to VBS2 v2.0, and micro-AI is included so AI will lean around corners and use handsignals. Parachute simulation A very detailed simulation of parachuting is included in VBS2 v2.0, including realistic movement while in freefall and under canopy. Improved rendering engine The VBS2 v2.0 rendering engine is a generation more advanced than the current, including a completely new lighting model, support for parallax mapping for ground textures, improved shadowing, and state-of-the-art shading for photo-realistic graphics. Underwater simulation VBS2 v2.0 supports underwater and scuba simulation. It is possible to enter the water from small boats and navigate underwater wearing scuba gear, and swim ashore.
Key improvements include: Larger terrain areas Paging terrain technology has been implemented so VBS2 v2.0 supports much larger terrain sizes, and the terrain level of detail calculations have been improved to allow for even longer view distances. Multi-core support The game engine architecture has been redesigned to exploit multi-core technology, resulting in many optimizations and a major increase in the number of AI entities that may be present in a scenario. Copyright © 2012 Bohemia Interactive Simulations s.r.o. All other trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.
V1ew cl1ent VBS2 is your game-based virtual environment for wide screen and dome displays.
Use Cases: Display VBS2 in 360 degrees around a gunnery simulator Use VBS2 in 360 degree projection domes for forward air controller training
Overview: VBS2 has application beyond the desktop training domain, and has been integrated with a range of virtual simulation solutions from gunnery trainers through to flight simulators. To facilitate further integration, VBS2 has been extended to support multi-channel and this is a key technology enabler for image generation software.
Provide an immersive 180 degree view around a pilot in a simulated cockpit Employ VBS2 as the virtual environment for an out-of-thehatch view in armored vehicle crew procedural trainers
Features: No hard-coded limit on the number of view clients allowed
Multi-channel allows VBS2 to be used on very wide-field of view displays, for example across multiple screens or in dome projection systems. In such displays, the view of the virtual environment is projected via multiple channels, and synchronized so that the user views one continuous image.
Compatible with normal VBS2 networks, integrate your dome displays with your classroom
The multi-channel implementation in VBS2 is very flexible. Each channel is rendered by a single VBS2 instance (view client), coordinated by view server so that all of the individual displays are synchronized. The view clients and view server(s) can be networked with a traditional VBS2 classroom, providing limitless training possibilities. Each VBS2 instance from VBS2 v1.50 includes view client and server functionality so no additional software is needed; the additional features just need to be enabled on the required number of VBS2 HASP dongles.
Easy to configure view clients and view server through simple configuration files
Please note: to correctly configure VBS2 for use on dome displays or curved screens you will need to purchase geometric correction (warping) and edge blending software, such as Sol7 by Immersaview. Curved screen image courtesy of Virtual Simulation Systems Copyright © 2012 Bohemia Interactive Simulations s.r.o. All other trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.
Supports multiple view servers on the one network Use the normal VBS2 editing tools (mission editors, development tools) to create scenarios and content for multi-channel display
Fully HLA/DIS compliant through the LVC Game gateway
FAQ VBS2 v2.0 What is VBS2 v2.0? VBS2 v2.0 is VBS2 v1.x ported to the Real Virtuality 3 game engine, which is the game engine behind the ArmA2 and ArmA2: Operation Arrowhead computer games. From a user interface perspective it is exactly the same as VBS2 v1.x, however there are many key improvements both as a result of the newer game engine as well as new items funded by military customers. The key improvements include: • • • • •
Larger terrain areas Multi-core support Improved AI path-planning (micro-AI) Underwater (scuba) and parachute simulation Improved rendering engine
What does VBS2 v2.0 provide in terms of graphics? All VBS2 content has been ported from VBS2 v1.x to VBS2 v2.0, but model fidelity is unchanged. This means that while the models will be rendered with better shading and have nicer shadows, they will look pretty much the same. We are however including a range of ArmA2 content and these are “game” quality models with higher texture resolution and more polygons. We use these “game” quality models in VBS2 v2.0 videos and other marketing material. What does VBS2 v2.0 provide in terms of AI? VBS2 v2.0 includes micro-AI, which means that the AI path-planning grid is much smaller so the AI is smarter. The many AI enhancements made in the ArmA2 computer games will all be available in VBS2 v2.0. Is VBS2 v2.0 backwards compatible? Generally yes, VBS2 v2.0 is backwards compatible. You may however need to re-binarize content (terrains and 3D models) in order for it to work correctly, but this will be confirmed closer to the release date. If this is the case we will aim to provide a tool to make the process as simple as possible. When will VBS2 v2.0 be released? We plan to release VBS2 v2.0 to the US Army and USMC in Spring of 2012. As usual there will be months of acceptance testing and bug fixing and we won’t release the product more widely until the product is accepted by both of these organizations. Therefore a general release won’t occur until Summer 2012 at the earliest. Who receives VBS2 v2.0 for free? We’ll be providing VBS2 v2.0 as a free update to the Canadian Forces, US Army, USMC and USSOCOM as part of existing support arrangements. Other enterprise military users will be provided with long-term trial licenses and very affordable proposals for an upgrade. Commercial users will be offered subscriptions to the VBS Developer Network (VBSDN), which includes free updates to future products including VBS2 v2.0, and also offers improved support as well as regular access to new builds. Academic/research and personal edition users will be updated to VBS2 v2.0 at no cost. Will BISimulations continue to develop VBS2 1.x? Beyond VBS2 v1.60, we will conduct development in VBS2 v1.x only for customer funded projects. All other new development will be in the new VBS2 v2.0 baseline. We will support VBS2 v1.x for as long as funded support arrangements exist. I am considering purchasing VBS2 v1.x, but should I wait till VBS2 2.0 comes out? Military organizations should contact us to discuss purchasing a bundle of VBS2 v1.x licenses with a free update to VBS2 v2.0. Commercial entities should consider purchasing VBSDN, as it guarantees an update to VBS2 v2.0 and will provide VBS2 v1.x plus many more advantages in the meantime. I only want to purchase VBS2 v2.0, can I do that? Military organizations should contact us to discuss the options so we can tailor a package to suit your specific needs. We’ll be providing a large number of long-term, trial VBS2 v2.0 licenses to military organizations so most will be able to access the new capability as soon as it is available. Commercial entities can only access VBS2 v2.0 through a VBSDN subscription, which will include the VBS2 Developer Suite. How does VBS2 v2.0 leverage middleware? Out-of-the-box, VBS2 v2.0 will likely include SimulWeather for realistic 3D clouds, RotorLib FDM for theoretically correct direct flight simulation and LVC Game for DIS and HLA integration. The vast majority of entities in VBS2 v2.0 will use PhysX by NVIDIA for physics simulation. It is very likely that VBS2 v2.0 will include xaitMap path-planning by xaitment, which you can exploit in your scenarios for improved AI movement. VBS2Fires and VBS2Strike will, of course, be fully compatible with VBS2 v2.0. Bohemia Interactive is willing to integrate additional middleware as demanded by the military requirement. Our API, VBS2Fusion, is now very mature and we are prepared to extend it further as needed to support other forms of middleware. What are the system requirements for VBS2 v2.0? VBS2 v2.0 will only be available on the Windows platform. The exact system requirements will be published on our website as soon as they are confirmed. Our goal is for VBS2 v2.0 to run on the widest possible range of computers. When can we expect VBS3? Development on VBS3 is ongoing but no details are available at this stage. We are not in any hurry to release the new product. Our primary focus is VBS2, and working with our customers to ensure it is the most capable gamebased training and mission rehearsal tool it can possibly be. We encourage the military to focus on what is important in games-for-training, and not get distracted by photo-realistic graphics or other game niceties that are great marketing strategies for games for entertainment but add little to the training value of a serious game. Copyright © 2012 Bohemia Interactive Simulations s.r.o. All other trademarks or copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.
VBSDN What is VBSDN? The VBS Developer Network (VBSDN) is a subscription-based product that is only available to commercial entities. It is an all-in-one package that provides the latest version of VBS, VBS2Fusion, multi-channel capability and the VBS2 Content API as well as dedicated product support. VBS2Fusion is now only available through VBSDN, except for military organizations who can still buy VBS2Fusion separately. What are the benefits of VBSDN? VBSDN includes: • • • • • • • •
A number of VBS2 v1.x licenses Updates to future VBS versions released during the subscription period (VBS2 2.0, VBS3, etc) VBS2Fusion A number of VBS2 multi-channel view client licenses Access to monthly builds (iterations) and pre-release forum access VBS2 Content SDK Improved product support for commercial users Right to resell VBS2 to your customers as part of an integrated product
What is VBSDN pricing? VBSDN is available in three tiers: Small Business, Standard and Enterprise. Each tier offers different numbers of VBS2, VBS2Fusion and VBS2 View Client licenses as shown below. Please contact us about VBSDN pricing for your particular business. Also note that we are willing to consider discounting the software depending on your plans and whether or not you are happy to resell what you develop via the Armory; our new serious games portal. VBS2 Licenses
VBS2Fusion Licenses
VBSDN Small Business
10
2
VBS2 View Client Licenses 12
VBSDN Standard
20
5
24
VBSDN Enterprise
50
15
60
How does the VBSDN subscription work? The VBSDN subscription period is one year from the date of purchase. All of the products included with VBSDN will operate for only the subscription period. Pricing for following years is discounted but only if the subscription is renewed prior to the end of the current subscription year. If you have already purchased VBS2 v1.x licenses, they will all be updated to future VBS versions as well (e.g. VBS2 v2.0) but only for as long as the subscription remains valid. For example, suppose your organization has previously purchased ten VBS2 v1.50 licenses on ten separate license dongles, and now you purchase VBSDN Small Business. You may receive ten additional VBS2 v1.50 license dongles under the subscription, and when VBS2 v2.0 is released you will receive twenty VBS2 v2.0 licenses (ten on your old dongles, ten on your new). If your subscription expires, you will be unable to run VBS2 v2.0 but your ten original dongles can be made to run VBS2 v1.x again if you wish. What are the benefits of purchasing VBSDN now? You will receive all of the benefits of VBSDN immediately, including VBS2 v1.50 licenses, and you will receive pre-releases of VBS2 v2.0 as soon as they are available. I am a product developer, how can I make my products available to customers using VBSDN / VBS2 v2.0? If you develop a product that extends VBS2 through either VBS2Fusion or the Application Scripting Interface (ASI), or you create content for VBS2, you may either sell direct to your customers or apply to sell through the Armory, which is our serious games portal. We offer a range of services including product encryption and licensing through the VBS2 HASP licensing scheme. If you would like more information on the Armory please contact us at sales@ bisimulations.com. What is the VBS2 Content SDK? This is a software development kit for creating VBS2 content (terrain and 3D models) in a programmatic manner. It is a tool for programmers to generate VBS2 content through other applications. The VBS2 Content SDK is only available through VBSDN. What are some examples of using the VBS2 Content SDK? In general, if you have your own content development tools, for example terrain tools or 3D modeling software, then you can use the VBS2 Content SDK to save data directly to VBS2 formats. For example, the VBS2 Content SDK has been used by SE Core within the US Army to automatically publish correlated VBS2 terrain from tools that are proprietary to the Government. Can I renew my subscription after it has expired? A substantial discount applies if the next year’s subscription is paid prior to the end of the current subscription year. If you do not renew before the end of the current subscription year and your subscription expires, you will be charged the full first year subscription fee to reactivate and no discount will apply.
Please note that our plans relating to VBS2 v2.0 and VBSDN are subject to change, and VBSDN licensing is subject to contract. For more information please visit our website - www.bisimulations.com
